Good morning, friends! As you may have noticed, just this past weekend I announced a milestone that we've hit very close to my heart: Anna Elizabeth Events turned two. It was an accomplishment that I'd been looking forward to for quite some time now and I published an uber sentimental post surrounding the event. In order to appropriately commemorate this particular milestone, I decided, "what better way to grasp my joy and love for this small company than capture it in photos that will last a lifetime?" So, that's just what I did.

Photo shoots have a variety of purposes but, mainly they are designed to capture and celebrate a very special event in one's life such as an engagement, a pregnancy, and yes, always a wedding. Photo shoots can also be used, however, to represent a time in one's life where they felt a great accomplishment such as starting a business, graduating from a program, or even reaching a goal in fitness and health.

This is, perhaps, why I hold photography so dear to my heart. As the past few years have progressed, I've realized that, even though I prefer to be behind the camera lens rather than in front of them, I still like to call the shots in every aspect. From the texture of the clothing right down to the color of the satin ribbon holding together the flower arrangement, I have a special place for each element of a photo shoot in my initial vision.

I suppose that I shouldn't exactly reveal this but, truly I put this entire two part session together within 5 days flat. Thank God for double espresso shots, online shopping, and my flashlight at 2am while I put the finishing touches on that stained wood calligraphy sign. I didn't even know until hours before the first day of shooting whether the dresses I ordered were going to fit right. Sam would agree though, that's just the type of personality that I have: if I want something, I want it like yesterday.

At times I think, "this poor photographer, they just don't know quite yet what they've gotten themselves into, huh?" But, once in awhile, you find that special someone that shares your neurotic spirit and detail-oriented ways, and you know you've got a match. And that's exactly why I chose to call up my very favorite photographer and dear friend, Michelle from Michelle Dizon Photography for this special event. Who else would rearrange their busy schedule given a notice of 4 days to make this photo shoot come to life?

Today, I'm going to share with you my favorite essentials to have on hand when designing and executing a photo shoot {even if it's entirely last-minute}:

The creator of Un Original Americain, Nicole Kurtts, was kind and generous enough to send me some of her beautiful designs and handmade napkins essentially overnight while I was designing this photo shoot for AEE so that I could showcase them in this piece for my readers.

"An in-house creative by day, creatively working in my house by night. My background is in interior design but my passion includes all things creative and design orientated. I learned to sew at a young age from my mom and have never looked back! My sewing machine has become my favorite tool and sewing my preferred creative outlet.

After my wedding in 2011, we were left with a pile of burlap table runners and blue ticking runners that my mom and I had made. On a whim, my husband and I decided to have a booth in a couple of local handmade markets and I threw together some handmade goods to accompany the wood cut prints my husband had already made. My painted burlap tote bags and blue ticking napkins were born from the leftover runners, which found success at the markets. Soon after I started my Etsy shop, I expanded my product offerings to include several table linen lines, accessories such as clutches and scarves, and incorporated the use of limited edition and vintage fabrics. Everything in my shop, from the products to the packaging, is hand made by me (with occasional help from my husband and toddler son) from start to finish in my studio at home."

Follow along with Nicole from Un Original Americain via Etsy, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter {@unoriginalusa}.

Don't forget to check back for the latest edition of Weekend Links on Saturday and the recipe from Oliver's all natural birthday puppy cake.

UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE, ​ALL IMAGES ARE MY ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL SO PLEASE BE KIND AND DON'T USE MATERIAL WITHOUT CREDITING AND LINKING BACK TO ANNA ELIZABETH EVENTS. BUT FEEL TOTALLY FREE TO SHARE, TWEET + PIN AWAY!

CONVERSELY, IF I FEATURE AN IMAGE OF YOURS THAT YOU SEE MIS-CREDITED OR WOULD LIKE TAKEN DOWN, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL TAKE CARE OF IT RIGHT AWAY.

DISCLOSURE:SPONSORED POSTS OR GIFTED ITEMS WILL ALWAYS BE NOTED AS SO.

ANNA ELIZABETH EVENTS CONTAINS PAID ADVERTISING BANNERS AND SOME POSTS CONTAIN CONTEXTUAL AFFILIATE LINKS. THIS MEANS THAT WE MAY RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION IF YOU PURCHASE A PRODUCT I'VE LINKED TO.

ALL OPINIONS ARE 100% MY OWN, AND ALL PRODUCTS RECOMMENDED ARE THINGS I TRULY LIKE OR USE.

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